Outliers
by ian7285
Summary: A short piece exploring Jughead and Cheryl. Early to mid season 1.
1. Casablossom

**Now typically I prefer not straying too far from canon, and I promise to have** ** _Riverdale_** **story more like my** ** _Serena_** **work, but for now, here's a little piece exploring Jughead and Cheryl. Probably just a one-shot unless there's high demand for more. Time: early season one.**

* * *

 _Our story takes place in the same little town you already know. A town of joy and darkness. A place where the good, the bad, and the ugly bubble beneath the surface._

 _And on this day, yours truly set out to find what lies beneath the surface of one of the most well-guarded secrets in Riverdale. Cheryl Blossom._

Jughead scoffed at the words, then erased them from the screen. He closed his laptop and set it gently in his bag. The gym bleachers were typically easy for Jughead to retreat into, as anyone else there would be preoccupied with their activities. Today, the River Vixens were practicing with Veronica at the helm. Cheryl Blossom sat a few rows in front of Jughead, still in a short dress and heels.

Against his better judgment, Jughead stepped over the rows of hard, metal seating and landed near Cheryl. Neither said anything at first, a game of who was the better loner. Cheryl crossed her arms and pursed her lips. Clearly, she wasn't giving in.

"Cheryl," Jughead began without a real train of thought.

"What do you want, trailer trash?"

"Look, ice queen, I'm trying to say something nice," Jug snapped.

Cheryl arched an eyebrow. "Thirty seconds. Go."

Jughead resisted the urge to make a comment about the virility of Cheryl's boy toys and instead continued on. "I just wanted to let you know that I get messed up families. And they're not always easy to talk to."

"That's an understatement."

He shifted uncomfortably. "If you ever need to talk, I could take some time out of my normally scheduled time for loathing you."

Cheryl leaned over and narrowed her eyes. "That's very noble of you, but I actually have friends for that." She turned her focus back to the Vixens.

"I just thought you'd rather talk to someone whose biggest concern isn't the latest fall fashion or how many kegs to buy."

Cheryl laughed instinctively, then blushed slightly. "Thanks, Jones." She stood up and started to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to deal with the family business."

She stopped midstride and looked down. Tears started to come to her eyes. "It's like everything reminds me of him…" she sighed, wiping her eyes.

Jughead stood up begrudgingly and patted Cheryl's shoulder. "Look, I know I'm going to regret this, but what if we just cut out for the rest of the day?"

Cheryl scoffed in disbelief. " _We_? I feel like my net worth my drop if I stick around you, Jughead Jones."

"Then don't come with me as a Blossom. You won't be the daughter of a maple syrup empire, and I won't be the son of an alcoholic Serpent." The words come out faster than he intended, hoping she wanted to forget herself, too.

In the background, Veronica's voice rang out over the peppy rehearsal music. "Ladies, hustle! The crowd is dying for boredom!"

Cheryl nodded at last. "Alright, Juggy. Where we are we going?"

* * *

Pop's had seemed too conspicuous a place for the odd couple, and so Jughead had elected for a more secluded venue.

Jug unlocked the door to the drive-in's projection booth and held the door open. "Welcome to the last place anyone is going to suspect Cheryl Blossom is hiding out in."

They entered the small room, and Cheryl began to peruse the knick-knacks that were Jughead's personal belongings. She was still perfectly poised, as if she were wandering a tiny museum.

"Sit anywhere you like," Jughead called out while rummaging through boxes of reels.

Cheryl realized the humor in the statement, as the only seating appeared to be a cot in the far corner. "Jughead, do you live here?" She was surprised by the softness of her voice, almost as if someone else were speaking for her. Someone who wasn't a Blossom.

"Home sweet home," he joked. "You're welcome to crash here if Thorn Hill starts to feel a little too much like _The Shining_." He found what he was looking for and placed the reel in a projector facing the wall. The movie flicked to life and he sat down on the cot.

Cheryl lowered herself onto the makeshift bed, keenly aware of how little space remained between them. "I didn't take you for an Ingrid Bergman fan," she said politely.

"I didn't take you for someone who knows who Ingrid Bergman is," he retorted with a smile.

They sat in silence for the first twenty minutes of the movie until they reached that inevitable point where comfort takes priority over appearances. Jughead slid his hat off his head and tossed it in a corner. Cheryl removed her heels and unpinned her hair, letting it spill down over her shoulders. She moved closer to her companion, allowing her body to touch his. The world wasn't orbiting around Cheryl Blossom, and instead the two were in tangent to each other for the first time.

"I miss him. I'm sure you don't. You wouldn't have a reason to…" Her voice trailed off, and she laid her head gently on Jughead's shoulder.

"No one deserves that," he said plainly. "And no deserves to go through this sort of pain." He rested his hand on hers, and they sat in a more comfortable silence for the remainder of the movie.

When the screen finally went blank, neither one moved. "Guess it's time to get back to the Addams Family, huh?" Jughead said dryly. Cheryl paused before answering. "Most good theaters have double features. Are you saying that having me for company isn't worth another film?" She sneered at him for effect.

"Why don't you choose?" he offered. She stood up and thumbed through the pile of old movies. At last she settled on _Bullitt_ and handed the reel to Jughead. "Be a good little worker and put this on."

Jughead looked at the title. "McQueen. I approve."

"Who says I need your approval? Besides I'm a sucker for a leading man." She smiled genuinely and resumed her place on the cot. Jughead switched the reels, and the new film began. He went over to the little bed, but Cheryl stopped him. "Do you have a blanket?"

He picked up a small fleece blanket from the other side of the room and handed it to her. Cheryl draped the fabric over herself and laid down on the cot. Seeing the confusion on Jug's face, she patted the space behind her. "Sit, boy."

He rolled his eyes but did so anyways, lying right against her. He laid his hand tentatively on her waist, and interlaced her fingers in his.

"Tell anyone about this, and I'll kill you," she half threatened.

"Same goes for me," Jughead muttered.

The second movie was more relaxed, and they made occasional sarcastic remarks to each other and the characters throughout. By the time it ended, neither even noticed. They were facing each other now, Cheryl tracing her fingers over Jug's hand.

"We used to try to tap the trees with straws when we were kids. Jason would take straws from Pop's and save them up, then we'd go and start stabbing at trees with them. One year, we actually did it. There was a tree that had been tapped before, and we used the old hole and got a few drops out of it. It was like a pirate's treasure for us."

Jughead listened intently. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes stayed completely focused on Cheryl's words. He was always a good listener for his friends, but it felt important that he linger on every word, as if this were the only time he'd get to hear Cheryl Blossom speak.

"You okay, there, Jones?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, just listening."

She smiled as she looked around the room. "Maybe next time I'll bring food… and some air freshener."

"Next time?" Jughead cocked his head in confusion.

"You should be so lucky! I mean it can't happen again. We're not being ourselves, but we're still… something."

"We're just people, Cheryl. Two people who get each other. I think you're the only person lonelier than me in this town. So better to be lonely with company, right?"

She nodded. "It's sort of nice not being a Blossom. I get why other people do it." She cracked a smile and bit her lip. Jughead found himself leaning in towards the woman who was mean girl by day and outsider by night.

They looked at each other for another moment, then Cheryl pulled away and slipped her heels back on. She stood up quickly. "It's getting late. I should go do damage control with my parents."

Jughead nodded solemnly. "I'll walk you."

They crossed the large lot and talked intermittently on the long walk to Thorn Hill. When they finally arrived, it seemed that neither of them wanted to see Cheryl go inside.

"Be safe," he said simply. She nodded and fidgeted with her purse. "Jughead… thanks. I know we haven't exactly been friends, but…"

He interrupted. "Things are weird. It's a weird town. It doesn't matter what things are supposed to be like. If you want to do this again some time, I'm here."

She smiled softly then turned away. She took a single step and turned back to him, talking quickly. "Look, I know you're like a weirdo and all, and you probably don't get to talk to girls much, so I'll do you a favor." She leaned in and kissed him quickly.

"You're a sweetheart, Jughead Jones," she said, then walked briskly through the iron gates and left him standing alone in chilly nighttime air.


	2. Jughead's Day Off

**Okay, maybe a little more…**

* * *

 _Up isn't always up, down isn't always down. And sometimes, things that seem cruel are just misunderstood._

"Mister Jones, put it away."

Jughead snapped his attention back to class. "Sorry about the intrusion," he retorted to his math teacher. "Kids these days can't concentrate unless everything is dead silent. Even then, the idea of learning eludes some people. Isn't that right, Reggie?"

Reggie got to his feet, ready for a fight.

"Sit down, King Kong," Cheryl ordered. Their classmates exchanged looks of confusion, and Reggie sat down, baffled at being told what to do.

"Mister Jones, final warning," came their teacher's voice.

Jughead shut his laptop and chanced a glance around the room.

Reggie was glaring like he might start using Superman's laser vision. Betty was out today, and Archie was half-asleep in the corner. Cheryl was smiling at him.

"Good one," she whispered, giving him a small wink. He smiled back and looked away, straight into the face of Veronica. She was scowling and pointing at Cheryl. "Are you _friends_?"

At the front of the room, their teacher was still prattling on. "Who can tell me what an outlier is in a set of data?"

Jughead pressed a finger to his lips. "Math time, Ronnie."

After class, Archie and Veronica flanked Jug. "So," Archie started. "Pop's tonight?"

Before they could answer, Cheryl interrupted and acknowledged the other two. "Archie. Second hand pearls. I'm afraid Juggy can't join your little pow wow."

"Juggy?" Veronica frowned.

"I can't?" Jughead asked, a bit of anxiety rising in him.

"I'm tutoring you tonight, remember?"

"Right," Jug nodded. "Gotta keep up the grades."

"Since when?" Archie teased.

"What subject?" Veronica demanded. Her arms were crossed and she looked ready to strike.

"That's tutor-student confidentiality," Cheryl smirked. "There's no need to worry."

"But I appreciate the tiger mom thing you're doing, Ronnie," Jughead added.

"What sort of _Hedda Gabler_ manipulation do you have planned?" Veronica pressed on. Jughead sighed and stepped between the girls. "Sometimes a Blossom is just a Blossom. Let it go." The request was stern, and Veronica nodded silently.

"Come on, Jug," Cheryl beckoned. "Lots of learning to be done!"

She turned and began walking briskly. Jughead shrugged at his friends and followed the redhead down the hall.

"So, what's going on?" Jughead asked when they were out of earshot of the others. He tried to keep his head down, but just his speaking to Cheryl Blossom was getting the attention of some of their classmates. A small crowd blocked the way.

"Move along," she ordered, making a shooing gesture at the teenagers. "Jones is with me today. Yes, he's lucky. No, it'll never be you." The crowd parted and they headed out the front door without a single person blocking their path.

"Neat party trick," Jughead commented.

"Sorry," Cheryl apologized under her breath. "It's the easiest way to get everyone off our backs."

* * *

When they finally arrived at the drive-in and were safely inside their hideaway, Cheryl took off her shoes and jacket. Jughead caught himself staring as she did so. "That thing is freaky," he said, indicating Cheryl's infamous spider broach and hoping it justified his gaze.

"You don't like it."

"I'm clearly a fond of weird accessories," he said as he pulled off his hat. "But I'm sure it unnerves most people."

"Well, if anything ever happens to me, I'm unofficially bequeathing it to you," she said half jokingly.

Cheryl pulled the blanket from Jughead's cot and laid it on the floor. She pulled a smaller bag from her purse and spilled the contents onto the blanket. Two burgers from Pop's.

"Dinner _and_ a show?"

"I didn't want to have to leave just for food," she admitted.

Jughead put on _Ferris Bueller_ , and the two ate quietly while watching.

"I love eighties films," Cheryl announced after it was over. "Especially the John Hughes ones. There's always the good girl and the bad boy in a leather jacket."

Jug grabbed a jacket from his bed. It was one of his dad's Serpent jackets. "Well, I don't know if you're exactly a nice girl, but we do have a jacket."

"I can be sweet and demure," she teased. Cheryl pouted her lips and widened her eyes. "I just wanted to go to the dance, but no one will take me."

"Not bad," Jug grinned.

"Pass it to me," Cheryl demanded, and Jughead handed over the leather jacket. She put it on and gave a devilish smile. "Oh, but being bad is so much fun."

Jughead's breath caught looking at the solo Blossom twin with her bright red lipstick and the worn leather jacket. He wasn't sure he liked having this sort of reaction to her.

"Everything okay," she goaded, and he swore she knew what he was thinking.

"It's much more your speed," he said at last.

"Guess that makes you the good one."

"Don't corrupt me," Jughead challenged. "You'll ruin my virginal beauty."

He thought she might have blushed at hearing 'virgin,' and he wondered if she'd ever been with anyone. Surely she had, but he couldn't recall a single guy in Cheryl's life who'd been around for more than a night.

She slipped the jacket off and cleaned up the remnants of their small picnic. "Thanks again for being my… for you know…"

"For being…" he tried to finish the sentence as well and came up short. 'Friend' didn't seem like the right description. There was something more intimate to the nature of their relationship.

Jughead stood and changed the reel to an old drama from the fifties that neither one of them cared about. It was always good to have something in the background for when the inevitable silences kicked in.

Cheryl and Jughead were lying on the cot like before, facing each other this time, and talking about anything they could think of. It was a rare situation for both of them, and everything felt urgent to tell.

"I hate pickles," she blurted out.

"I hate tomatoes," he replied.

So not everything was as serious as alcoholic fathers or dead brothers, but the more they spoke, they easier it came.

"I'm scared," Cheryl admitted. "Whoever shot Jason is still out there." By this point, the two were pressed against each other, and Cheryl ran her fingers over Jug's arm while she spoke. His hand played absentmindedly with her hair, and they were tangled up in a way that was less than romantic and more than friendly.

"No one is going to hurt you," he insisted. "Betty and I are going to figure this out. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"This is crazy," she muttered. "I never thought I'd be here with you. Or even talking to you."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Not at all," she corrected. "Everyone thinks Archie is the only good guy at Riverdale High, but Jughead Jones might just be in the running."

"I'm not a good person," he answered seriously.

"Yes, you are. You're not a nice person, but you're good."

"Kind of like you," he argued.

Cheryl shook her head. "No, I'm just a mess."

They looked at each other and noticed the closeness of their lips. They had both been leaning closer without realizing where they had ended up.

Jughead hesitated, and Cheryl noticed. "You're just a guy, and I'm just a girl today," she whispered encouragingly.

He nodded and closed the distance between them. Cheryl's lips parted as they met his, and she moaned softly at his touch. His lips traveled down her neck, becoming more passionate with each one. She pulled at his hair and let out a small gasp.

"Cheryl!" a loud voice rang out from the other side of the door. "Come on out. It's Sherriff Keller."

They looked at each other mournfully. The moment was gone, and who knew when another one would arise? A heavy knock. "Cheryl Blossom!"

She cringed. Their escape was over for the evening. She stood up and started gathering her things. "I'm coming, Sheriff," she called out. Jughead watched her with a pang of sadness that surprised him in its intensity. She crossed to the door with Jug close behind. She kissed him quickly.

"Bye," she said quietly and opened the door.

Sheriff Keller stood in the doorway. "Christ, are you two mad? Jones, if the Blossoms knew about this, they'd raze this place to the ground. And if anything happened to you, young lady, they'd tear me apart!"

"I'm fine," Cheryl insisted. "We were just watching a movie. Please, don't tell my parents where you found me."

Keller sighed then looked into the booth. "For God's sake, Jughead, hide that jacket away. Look, I know kids will be kids, but it's dangerous to go sneaking off right now. You just never know…" His voice trailed off. "I'll drive you home, Cheryl. Lock the door if you're staying here, Jughead."

He started towards the car, and Cheryl lingered for a moment. She gave him a sad smile and whispered "Back to being a Blossom," before following after the officer. Jughead watched as they pulled away, and when they departed, a few lingering South Side Serpents wolf whistled.

Jughead raised his middle finger. "Knock it off, nothing happened!" He slipped back inside the booth, locked the door, and turned out the light.


	3. Pretty in Red

**This is going to be the end for the sake of keeping this somewhat plausible.**

* * *

 _Today is a sad day for Riverdale. A once majestic mecca for local cinephiles has been demolished, like many people's hopes for finding justice for Jason Blossom._

"And I should be spending this time finding a new place to crash," Jughead admitted to himself. There was no more privacy. No more secret getaway. Which meant no more Cheryl.

As if on cue, Cheryl and two of her Vixens walked by. "Cheryl," he yelled. "Can I talk to you? About tutoring stuff." She snapped, and the other girls walked on without a moment's hesitation.

"What's up, Unabomber?"

"Cheryl, about the other night…"

Cheryl lowered her voice and leaned in. "There's nothing to talk about. I had fun, and I appreciate what you did for me, but…"

"But what?" He challenged. Jughead hadn't realized how much their encounters had affected him, but hearing her be so dismissive made him angry.

"They tore it down, Jug. We can't escape."

"We'll find somewhere else – ."

"No!" She yelled a little louder than she'd intended. "We're not escaping anymore, Jughead. We can't live like that. We just have to admit that our lives suck. I will always be a Blossom, and you'll always be FP Jones, III."

The color drained from Jughead at hearing his real name. No one had said it in years, and he had told it to Cheryl in confidence on their first night at the drive-in.

"Maybe someday," she offered apologetically. "When things are settled. Or when the Blossoms don't matter. Or when the Serpents are gone. Or when we're eighteen. I don't know, Jughead. I'm sorry."

"You don't even want to try?" Hot tears were welling up in his eyes. She was going to abandon him after all this.

She shook her head in defeat. "I've already lost someone. And I just don't have the emotional strength to do this." She sighed heavily. "Jug, if I can just count on you as a friend, that would mean so much more to me than something that might not work out."

He sat silently, then after a moment, he pulled a few film reels from his laptop bag. "For you," he offered. Cheryl turned them over in her hands. _Bullitt_ and _The Breakfast Club_.

"You did say you liked the John Hughes stuff."

She nodded, and Jughead could swear there were tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

His face softened, and Jughead started packing his things. "Don't worry, Cheryl. I'll always be around if you need me. Gotta have a fellow loner."

He stood up and started walking, and as Cheryl watched him go, he threw his fist into the air.

" _Don't you forget about me!_ " Jughead sang to himself and went on to find his friends.


	4. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Note: I hear you loud and clear, and a sequel of this is in the works. Keep your eyes out for** ** _Passing Ships_** **.**


End file.
